During a catastrophic event, people rely on televisions, radios, and other media-consumption devices for up-to-the-minute information about all aspects of the event. Such information may include locations of events, people involved, responding agencies, and victims. Currently, with existing systems, there is no “immediate” flow of information about the event from people in the vicinity of the event to people in a position to provide help (e.g., police, firemen, etc.). Timely response in an emergency situation, however, can depend on accurate and up-to-date information about the emergency situation itself, affected persons, and their state. Prompt acquisition and exchange of such data can be essential in such situations. Current audiovisual surveillance systems in the area of an emergency situation may provide information about the identify of affected persons, but the gathering and analysis of such information may be a time-consuming process. Additionally, the deployment of such surveillance systems may be costly and, generally, is negatively perceived by the public. Historically, during emergencies, state, local, and federal agencies use systems based on radio communications, such as mobile data terminals (MDTs) in emergency response vehicles. They also rely on after-the-fact witness accounts and calls to a 9-1-1 operations center to provide “approximate data” about an event that just occurred.
Moreover, conventional systems cannot provide personalized information and guidelines to individuals affected by an emergency situation, or request and receive information related to the emergency situation from the individuals, particularly on a real-time or near-real-time basis.